The chairperson of the B.C. Touring Council (BCTC) awards committee says an honour bestowed upon Vernon’s Erin Kennedy has been a “long time coming.”
Kennedy, artistic director for the Vernon and District Performing Arts Centre, was named B.C.’s Presenter of the Year at the BCTC’s Pacific Contact conference in Coquitlam April 9.
“Not only do they often initiate tours throughout the province, but they also support artists-in-residence programs and provide space for producing companies who are rehearsing and building shows,” said Kirsten Schrader, awards committee chair, leading up to the announcement of Kennedy’s win.
“They plan years ahead to find out what is touring in other parts of Canada and internationally, and in doing so help support the growth and innovation of the touring sector in this province.”
A “presenter” is a performance venue, or professional or non-profit organization, that curates a series or season of live performances in any genre or combination of genres, typically touring professional productions, whether regional, within the province, nationally or internationally.
Presenting is dependent on touring shows and other participating venues. VDPAC is both a presenter and a “roadhouse,” meaning the theatre is also available year-round for rental by local groups and professional tour promoters.
Kennedy joined the VDPAC as technical director in May 2007, then asked to serve as artistic director in 2010.
“When I first started (as artistic director), I needed to find 24 shows and had about eight weeks to book them,” said Kennedy. “As time has evolved, we grew our community engagement from 10 activities to over 50 each season. We have also created and collaborated on special events like the Diwali in Vernon Festival pre-COVID, Orange Shirt Day with the Okanagan Indian Band, and this spring, the North Okanagan Children’s Festival that we plan to grow.”
The VDPAC Society re-branded its annual Presentation Season of subscription series in theatre, dance, special presentations, kids and first stages (toddlers) series as its SPOTLIGHT Season in 2018-19 to distinguish the society’s programming from the 115+ annual rental shows and special events.
Kennedy curates all SPOTLIGHT shows and pre-COVID, the 50+ related outreach activities, including camps, master classes, auditions, artist residencies and workshops, for local and area participants of all ages, each year.
She is an active member of the Kootenay/Okanagan presenters working group; the Prairie Regional Presenters Coalition (Western Canada); the International Market for Contemporary Circus (co-chair, Presenting Circus in Canada working group); the Canadian Network of Dance Presenters (CanDance); Western Arts Alliance (WAA); and the Canadian Association for the Performing Arts (CAPACOA) as part of the International Market Development Program.
Through these networks – and her scouting trips to numerous festivals and events, such as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; CINARS (International performing arts conference in Montreal); the Indigenous Talking Stick festival (Vancouver); WAA showcase and conference (Seattle); and the National Dance Presenter meetings (across Canada) – Kennedy negotiates and pieces together the best available, challenging, educating and uplifting productions to deliver diverse live performance experiences for SPOTLIGHT Seasons, often scheduling tours two-to-three years in advance.
Altogether, Kennedy has succeeded in bringing the world to the VDPAC and North Okanagan audiences for more than 10 years.
During the COVID shutdown and professional artists’ inability to tour, VDPAC pivoted to recording, producing and live-streaming 24 local and area emerging artists and established performers featured in free, bi-weekly FOCUS Online Series (six episodes) and the follow-up The B-Sides (four episodes) from January to June 2021 to more than 5,000 online viewers—also curated by Kennedy.
Made possible through a Digital Stages Development Project, co-funded by the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund and the RDNO’s VDPAC capital replacements, this initiative included the acquisition of HD video, digital audio recording and post-production equipment, and the conversion of the Marie Fleming Rehearsal Hall to a studio for future programming and community access.
“Erin is a wonderful presenter and very professional,” her nomination reads. “She is connected to national and provincial networks, in tune with her audiences and a wonderful colleague who is willing to share information and bookings. Erin always makes you feel like she has time to share even though she is incredibly busy. My community has benefited greatly from Erin’s expertise, programming, and willingness to collaborate.”
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